Humanitarian Aid Under Fire

A Global Analysis of Violence Against Humanitarian Workers

1 Introduction: The Rising Threats to Humanitarian Workers

Around the world, humanitarian aid workers risk their lives to assist communities affected by conflict, disaster, and crisis. But what happens when aid itself becomes a target?

This research explores global patterns of violence against humanitarian personnel using data from the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD). By examining incident patterns across time, geography, and conflict contexts, we uncover both universal trends and context-specific threats that shape the security landscape for aid operations worldwide. Each record in the dataset includes:

• Temporal and geographic data: Incident date, location, coordinates
• Organizational details: Type of agency affected, staff nationality
• Incident specifics: Attack type, context, perpetrators, motives
• Impact metrics: Numbers killed, wounded, kidnapped

The AWSD is considered the gold standard for humanitarian security data and is used by researchers, policy makers, and security practitioners worldwide.

2 Research Questions and Methodology

2.1 Research Questions

This research seeks to answer four fundamental questions about humanitarian security:

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    classDef secondary fill:#f0f4f8,stroke:#4682b4,stroke-width:1px
    classDef highlight fill:#fce4ec,stroke:#d81b60,stroke-width:2px

    title[("Security Incident Analysis<br>Research Questions")] 
    title --> A & B & C & D
    
    A["What types of attacks are<br>most common?"]:::primary
    A --> A1["Frequency by attack method"]:::secondary
    A --> A2["Geographic distribution<br>of attack types"]:::secondary
    
    B["How does violence vary by<br>year and political event?"]:::primary
    B --> B1["Temporal patterns<br>and hotspots"]:::secondary
    B --> B2["Correlation with<br>political upheaval"]:::secondary
    B --> B3["Emerging threats"]:::secondary
    
    C["How does risk differ for national<br>vs. international staff?"]:::primary
    C --> C1["Casualty comparison<br>by nationality"]:::secondary
    C --> C2["Risk factors across regions"]:::secondary
    
    D["What contextual factors shape<br>security patterns?"]:::primary
    D --> D1["Conflict dynamics"]:::secondary
    D --> D3["Armed actor motivations"]:::secondary

2.2 Methodology

This project is broken into three main parts. First, we conduct an international analysis of all countries to uncover global trends in humanitarian security incidents. Next, we take a closer look at eight contemporary conflict hotspots—Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria—to explore country-specific patterns and challenges. Lastly, throughout our analysis, we encountered a significant number of unknown values; we examine the implications of this missing data and reflect on how uncertainty shapes our understanding of humanitarian risk.

3 Regional Focus: Eight Contemporary Hotspots

3.1 Why These Eight Countries?

These countries consistently rank among those with the highest security incident rates, both historically and over the past 15 years. Mali emerges as a major hotspot primarily in the past 15 years.

Although they represent just 8.4% of the countries in the dataset, these eight nations account for 63.8% of all recorded incidents.

3.2 Key Findings

3.2.1 Staff Nationality and Casualty Patterns

There is a consistent disparity in security incidents affecting national versus international staff:

• National staff account for a significant amount of all casualities (killed, wounded, and kidnapped)

This pattern represents both an operational challenge and an ethical concern for humanitarian organizations attempting to manage risk equitably.

Humanitarian Security Incidents by Country

3.2.2 Attack Methods and Attack Contexts

Top Three Attack Methods & Contexts by Country

0–49

50–99

100–149

150+

Attack methods and contexts vary significantly across these eight conflict zones, reflecting differences in conflict dynamics, armed actor capabilities, and tactical objectives:

Attack methods:

• Syria and Occupied Palestinian Territories: Shelling and aerial bombardment highlight state-led military operations and urban conflict.
• Afghanistan, Somalia, DRC: Kidnapping is the most common method, pointing to tactics focused on leverage, ransom, and disruption.
• Sudan and South Sudan: High rates of shooting and bodily assault reflect widespread ground violence by armed groups.
• Mali: Kidnapping dominates, but overall attack volume is lower, reflecting a more targeted threat environment.

This distribution demonstrates how humanitarian security threats are shaped by the unique characteristics of each conflict, requiring tailored mitigation strategies rather than standardized approaches.

Attack contexts:

• Syria, Palestine: Combat/crossfire is the leading context, indicating indirect exposure to conflict rather than targeted attacks.
• Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, DRC, Mali: Ambushes are the most common, suggesting frequent targeting of aid workers while in transit.
• Afghanistan: Attack contexts are more varied, including ambushes, individual targeting, and compound raids.

Implications for Operations:

The prevalence of different attack contexts has direct implications for humanitarian operations:

• In ambush-dominated environments (Sudan, South Sudan, DRC, Mali): Focus on secure movement, use route risk assessments, journey management protocols, and vehicle convoy strategies.
• In combat/crossfire contexts (Syria, Palestine): Emphasize early warning systems, shelter infrastructure, and close coordination with local security mapping efforts.
• In compound targeting scenarios (Afghanistan): Physical site security and access control are priorities
• In kidnapping-prone areas (Afghanistan, Somalia, DRC, Mali): Invest in staff training on abduction response and low-profile movement tactics.

These distinctions highlight the importance of adapting operational security plans to address the most likely contexts of attack in each environment.

3.2.3 Political Transitions Create Vulnerability Windows

Security incidents consistently spike during power transitions, though the specific relationship varies:

• Peace agreements sometimes correlate with increased incidents
• Coups and regime changes usually lead to immediate security deterioration
• Territorial control shifts create new vulnerability patterns

Select a country below to learn more about the conflict it has faced.

Syria

Occupied Palestinian Territories

Afghanistan

Somalia

South Sudan

Sudan

DR Congo

Mali

3.2.4 Missing Context, Hidden Risks

Missing data remains a major challenge. In several countries, over one-third of incidents lack key contextual information—limiting our ability to fully understand patterns of violence and potentially underrepresenting specific threats.

4 Conclusions and Recommendations

4.1 Key Findings and Implications

• Security strategies must be context-specific
  Patterns of violence vary widely by country—kidnappings, ambushes, aerial bombardments—making one-size-fits-all protocols ineffective.
• National staff face disproportionate risk
  Across all regions, national personnel experience 5–10 times more casualties than international staff, raising urgent ethical and operational concerns.
• Political transitions increase risk
  Security incidents often spike during leadership changes, peace deals, or shifts in territorial control, creating windows of heightened vulnerability.
• Lower incident counts don’t always signal improvement
  A decline in reported attacks may reflect aid withdrawal or underreporting, especially in high-unknown-data contexts—not necessarily increased safety.
• Data gaps obscure key risks
  In many countries, over one-third of records lack crucial context, limiting the ability to design fully informed security strategies.

4.2 Recommendations for Humanitarian Organizations

4.2.1 Security Planning

• Develop country-specific protocols based on the dominant attack methods and risk contexts.
• Ensure equity in protection policies, providing national staff with safety measures equivalent to those of international personnel.
• Integrate early warning systems tied to political events and local shifts in control.
• Improve data collection and completeness to better understand risk environments and adapt security policies in real time.

4.2.2 Context-Specific Security Measures

• In ambush-heavy settings (e.g., Sudan, South Sudan, DRC, Mali): Prioritize secure transportation, journey management, and convoy procedures.
• In urban conflict or aerial threat zones (e.g., Syria, Palestine): Invest in shelter infrastructure and real-time conflict tracking.
• In high kidnap-risk regions (e.g., Afghanistan, Somalia, Mali): Emphasize low-profile operations, staff movement protocols, and abduction response training.

4.2.3 Policy Advocacy

• Support accountability for attacks on aid workers through legal action and diplomatic pressure.
• Promote safe corridors and humanitarian access agreements, especially in contested or shifting zones.
• Advocate for continued investment in context-appropriate security infrastructure, staff training, and incident reporting systems.

4.3 Recommendations for Future Research

• Assess how insecurity affects humanitarian access and the ability to deliver aid.
• Investigate differences in outcomes and risk between local and international personnel.
• Evaluate which security practices are most effective across different conflict types.
• Explore how climate stressors intersect with violence and impact aid operations.

5 📥 Source and Access

This dataset was downloaded directly from: 👉 Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD) (Outcomes, 2024).

Please cite as:
Humanitarian Outcomes. Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD). https://aidworkersecurity.org

6 References

Foreign Relations, C. on. (2024a). Al-shabab in somalia. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/al-shabab-somalia

Foreign Relations, C. on. (2024b). Civil war in south sudan. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/civil-war-south-sudan

Foreign Relations, C. on. (2024c). Conflict in syria. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/conflict-syria

Foreign Relations, C. on. (2024d). Israeli-palestinian conflict. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict

Foreign Relations, C. on. (2024e). Power struggle in sudan. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/power-struggle-sudan

Foreign Relations, C. on. (2024f). Violence in the democratic republic of congo. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/violence-democratic-republic-congo

Foreign Relations, C. on. (2024g). Violent extremism in the sahel. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/violent-extremism-sahel

Foreign Relations, C. on. (2024h). War in afghanistan. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/war-afghanistan

Outcomes, H. (2024). Aid worker security database. https://www.aidworkersecurity.org/